Church Basketball-Check out the $75,000 floor we were able to buy for $200.
Check out Darren!
Yesterday morning, I ran to Springfield, Ohio and picked up my husband. Everything just felt wrong to both of us. Things were not very good down there. I just couldn't handle my life without my husband here. I don't know what is going to happen but whatever does, I want my husband here with me. We feel we've done everything we can possibly do as far as trying to find a job and nothing seems to be working, so I guess all we can do is leave it in God's hands at this point.
Dane and Darren-Christmas '07
I've always loved this picture!! Dane-age 4
What a cutie!!!! Dane at 6 weeks!Tonight, we took Ralph to Springfield, Ohio for orientation/training with Werner Trucking. Man, how I hated saying goodbye to him not knowing for how long. Sniff! Sniff! I was hoping and praying something else would come up before today. Nothing did, so we felt this was our only option. I know I shouldn't say this, but I just don't understand why God allowed this. Why did Ralph have to take a job where he can't be home with his wife and kids for days at a time. I'm trying to be thankful that at least he found something while many others haven't. I've heard of several men now that have committed suicide due to loss of their jobs, etc.
I'm so very thankful to many of our friends and family who have offered to keep the boys on the nights that I work. This is a great relief to me, although I hate to impose on their family time. I also have Sandy Masters across the road and down a little ways who is home at night in case of an emergency if the boys stay here. She also will know to watch and make sure they behave!!! Thankfully, I have a full time job where I only have to work 3 nights a week, so I'm sure everything is going to work out!!!
I guess really, I have been spoiled over the last year, my husband did all the running for school and basketball, did all the laundry and dishes. Now, I have to try and juggle this myself. I'm just not real good with change.
Thanks everybody for your prayers for us. Please remember Ralph during the next few weeks, he has a roommate at the hotel (he wasn't real thrilled about that) and then will be on the road with a trainer(I believe they will sleep in bunk beds in the truck). Hopefully, his trainer will be someone who has some things in common with Ralph.
Hello, again.
Well, we have reached the desperate state.....since Ralph has been unable to find a job around this area, he has decided to go to work for Werner Trucking. This means he will be gone from us for 4-8weeks for the training period. I feel sick when I think about not having him with us for the next 1-2 months. Somehow, this does not seem like the best thing but we don't know what else to do. I'm going to stay at the hospital for now since we really need the money. I'm not sure what we will do about the boys on the nights that I'm at work. Darren is almost 15, so we'll see. Unless, God provides a different job sometime before next Tuesday, life will be pretty different around our house. Please remember to pray for us during this time, I would really appreciate it and thanks so much.
Happy New Year, everybody!!!! I, for one, am very glad to see 2008 end. This has been a very rough year for us. I'm hopeful that 2009 will be a better year.
Darren and Dane spent new year's eve with Reagan and Perry Titus, they were invited to a U of M basketball game. Even though, they are not the greatest Michigan fans (thanks to their father) I think they both had a really nice time. It was a neat opportunity for them. Thanks, Perry, for inviting them. We then met tonight at DJ's in Pittsford and ate with Perry and Cynthia and all the kids. It was nice to be with friends and laugh together. Ralph was asleep by 10:30 or so, but the kids and I watched the ball drop in Times Square. I always enjoy seeing that.
Please continue to pray for us as we make decisions about jobs, etc. It's confusing whether we made the right choice in staying in Michigan when Ralph was offered several jobs in the south and nothing seems to be working out for him here. I just want to be where God wants us.
Well, enough of that.
Have a very Happy New Year's Day!!!!!!!
Ralph's kennel-smashed!!
Darren's "perfect" shirt.
Bob with his toy hotdog.
Dane's new leather jacket and ipod touch!!
Darren with some of his goodies!
Darren's new hat with tags still on. What a goof!!
Dad, Ralph and Jess- just lazing around!!!
Some of the clan!!!
Just wanted to write and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!! I hope you all have a wonderful day!!!
Just thought I would ramble on for a little while. As most of you know, my husband has been without a job for over a year now. This has been a HUGE stressor in our lives, obviously, not only financially but emotionally as well. He has applied for a ton of jobs, went to truck driving school and still nothing has materialized. I just wanted to ask everyone who reads this, to please pray for us, that something might happen soon. I know my husband needs to have a job so he can feel better about himself. I think he is very tired of feeling like "Mr. Mom". Not only that, I would really like to be able to be more of a mom to my kids. With the shift I work, I am constantly tired or in bed. I work 12 hour shifts and have a 45 minute drive each way to work, so that does not leave much time for anything but sleep. Also, my schedule is so irregular, for six weeks I don't work the same days of the week. This makes it almost impossible for me to adjust back and forth on my days off. I just would like to maybe work part-time during the time my boys are at school and I can't do that until my husband has a job. Please, would you pray about this with me, my faith is not very strong, right now. Not only that, I have been having some issues with my heart and have to have some tests done next week. I am scared. Also, this adds to my stress as I need my job with health insurance to pay for these tests. I strongly feel, I need to be home (and when I am home, more awake) for my boys.
I'm sorry for the sob story, my husband probably won't be happy I have shared some of our problems on here, but I wanted to ask for your help in praying. Sometimes I think I can't take much more, but I know it could be a whole lot worse than this. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful that at least I do have a job and we do have some money coming in and I'm thankful for a healthy family, food to eat, a roof over my head and I could go on and on. I'm just so discouraged, so please remember us in your prayers. I want God's will in our lives. I just have a problem with trying to fix things myself and then worrying when I can't fix them.
The naughty pooch!!! Does he look sorry??
My shoe and tree skirt!!
I only wore these once!!!
I just bought this tree skirt!!!!
Dad, Mom, Me, Mibs, and Chris with my grandma!
Jess carving the turkey!
My Grandma with Dad and his grandkids!
My boys with their Grandpa and Great-Grandma!
Dakota Mayle and Dane!!
Quiz Bowl Team getting their awards
Tannen Mayle-one tired baby!!
Tyler, Justice, Chandler, Dakota, and Dane!
Dane's puppet team-getting ready to perform!
Our Pace Bowl Team-First Place Champs!
Darren's speech
Dane as a security guard
Here they come!
Part of the motorcade
My boys were privileged to be a part of the BLBS Mock Election of 2008. Darren was campaign manager for John McCain(Reagan Titus), and Dane was a security guard. They sure played it up big with a limo, police escort with sirens, the works. Everyone even got to vote. We had speeches from many important people including Stan Burchardt, Ken Kurtz, JJ Hodshire( campaign manager for Tim Walberg), Bruce Caswell and several others. Darren cracked everyone up with his intro of John McCain, check out the video clip, but I was very proud of him for being able to get up in front of all those people and give his speech. For more of the mock election, go to birdlakebibleschool.org.
